UNDERSTANDING THE ROOT WORD OF SALAT: PART 2

SALAH IN THE LIGHT OF LOCAL ARABIC & THE BOOK QURAN:

First we should know with conviction that the صلاۃ (Salah) mentioned in the book Qur’an is not a contact prayer or “Namaz” which consists of pre-Islamic culture of worshiping of Nature by folding hands in front of trees, Sun, Moon or bowing down towards deities made of stones or considering some house as sacred prostrating towards it. 

The book Quran is an unparalleled literature of its kind in simple Arabic language. It is wrong to give this marvelous book a religious color. We are fortunate that the language of the book Qur’an is not totally dead yet. Even today the native Arabs can relate its word in their daily usage but unfortunately they are not interested in any academic field and majority of the Arabic literature work related to the book Quran is done by non Arabs.

A very vast majority of "Muslims" are content to believe that Allah / Rabb is an exclusive invisible object of worship and our purpose of existence is to please Him day and night as He is watching us 24x7 from the Heaven. Subsequently we will be facing the trail of justice on the basis of how much Allah is pleased with us. All the ritual worship, pleading and devotion is for the purpose of influencing the Judgment of Allah. Allah is presume to be the King of Judgment day and He will decide our afterlife fate whether we would be burned in the eternal "Hell" or enjoy eternal bliss in the "Paradise".

In "Muslim" culture anyone who can recite Arabic and quote the verses from the book Qur'an gains the authority and respect from the community and on the basis of that they select their respective scholars. Beyond this the common Muslims are afraid to go deep in the study of the book Qur’an. Independent and self study of the book is out of question. This is the short synopsis of "Muslims" mentality and belief.

 “صلاۃ”SALAAH AND ITS ROOTS:

The definite feminine noun الصَّلاَةِ is derived from the root و ص ل / ص ل [waw – sad – laam / sad - laam]. Some lexicons take صل as the root word and some describe صلة under the heading وصل. According to Almaany English Arabic dictionary basic meaning of صلة [sila] is:  bearing ; bond ; connection ; contact ; link ; nexus ; pertinence ; relation(ship) ; relevance ; tie ; tie-in - مصدر وثيق الصلة ب means source closely connected with - But this root word  وصل / صل is very rarely used for salah by the academicians although it has strong connection in the local language. I don’t still understand how our eminent academicians can ignore the local language. According to Almaany dictionary the word صلّ is still used in local language for prayers.

The popular Arabic word “اتصالات” (ittisalat) is also derived from the same root and Emirates Telecommunication Group Company, (Arabic: مؤسسة الإمارات للاتصالات‎, Mu'asissat al-'Imārāt lil-'Ittiṣālāt, literally, "Emirates Institute for Communications"), branded trade name Etisalat. In Arabic: اتصالات‎ ittiṣālāt, literally "communications" and for transportation the word is مواصلات (mawasalat) that is also derived from the same root word of  صلاۃ [Salah]. The phrase inner calling in Arabic is الاتصال الداخلي here the word الاتصال is a derivative of Salah and wasl.

When I first heard this word in Dubai some 20 years back I thought it has something to do with contact prayers [namaz] or may be the telephone line is coming from some big mosque. But later I found that this is the name of a very big telecommunication [الاتصالات] [Etisalat] company – the word for transportation is مواصلات [mawasalat] and these words have nothing to do with any ritual contact prayer [namaz]. In Arabic language اتصالية [ittisalat] and مواصلات [mawsalat] are from the same root of وصل / صلة.

The use of derivations of the root of صلاۃ [Salah] has not changed its primary meaning even in modern Arabic too. At present in normal routine this root word is used in different field, for example connecting a microphone [computer] is صِل الميكروفون – connecting an adapter [automotive] is صل المهايئ – to connect a call is توصيل مكالمة [telephone] – connect USB cable is صل كابل [computer] - sprinkler used in agriculture is صُلْ هوائي – movement joint is فا صل حركة  - and finally even today for prayers in general the word is صلّ used.

Discussing some theory for academic purpose, nothing to do with translation of the book Quran: However, during the Umayyad period [661A.H – 132A.H] Islam spread very fast to the non Arab lands. Umayyads were non religious Arabs, they were only interested in usurping power and expansion and they never felt the necessity to interpret the book Quran in any other language. It may be that the native speakers of Arabic do not give much importance to the translations, but they will know its importance if they ask any non-Arab Muslim about it. Only one important thing they did to protect the original script of the book Quran is by coding the Quranic script with diacritics marking [Al-Tashkil]. This is a boon for non-Arabs Muslim researchers.

Abū al-Aswad al-Duʾalī [16A.H – 69A.H], was the poet companion of Ali bin Abu Talib [d 40A.H] and grammarian is said to have introduced the use of diacritics (consonant and vowel markings) to writing, and to have written the earliest treatises on Arabic linguistics, and grammar (nahw). He had many students and followers. Al-Duʾali is credited with inventing a system of placing large colored dots above certain letters to differentiate consonants (because several groups share the same shape), and indicate short vowels (because the sounds are not otherwise indicated). Consonant differentiation is called I'jam (or naqt). Vowel indication is called tashkil. Al-Du'ali's large-dot system addressed both of these, resolving readers' confusion and making clear how to read, understand and write Arabic words.

Although effective, the large dots were difficult to use on small-size fonts except on limited selection of scripts. They were also time-consuming to make on any size of fonts or script. Thus, the Umayyad governor al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi [40A.H - 95A.H] - asked two of al-Duʾali’s students [Nasir and Yahya] to create and codify a new system that was simpler and more efficient. Even though the first usage of diacritics is said to have begun with Abu al-Aswad al-Dualy (d. 69 A.H), Hasan Basri (d. 109 A.H), Nasr ibn Asim (d. 88 A.H) or Yahya ibn Ya’mur, it seems more likely that Abu al-Aswad began this usage and the rest played important roles in its development. As a matter of fact, Nasr and Yahya were both students of Abu al-Aswad and were nominated to carry out this task on the order of Hajjaj.

Unfortunately even this meticulous decoding of the words of the noble Quran failed to stop the corruption in the understanding the book Quran. The Persians were very academically intelligent people but they were defeated by the superior Arab power. They could not fight the Arabs physically but politically they were very sharp. They knew the strength and weakness of Arabs. Their strength was the book Quran and weakness was women. The Arabs forcefully married fair skin Persian girls thus giving the Persians an opportunity to develop a political nexus between the despotic Arab. This way the Persians completely took under their control the entire administration of the “Islamic Empire” under the garb of providing guidance to Arabs. A simple guide of living was given the form of a sacred / religious book and especial rules were formulated to understand the vibrant message of the book Quran. Initially it was spread in non Arab Muslim regions so that nobody could doubt their intentions. Those who raised their voices were slyly put to death. Hundreds of Arabic speaking intellectuals were assassinated in order to camouflage their nefarious activities. Under the influence of government and the help of the illiterate Arabs even sane among them started to believe that to understand the “religious book Quran” they need to learn special sciences. The Arabs forget that the simple book Quran is in their own local language and they need not take help of any supplementary literature to understand it. The fake supplementary literature invented to distort the meanings and context of the book Qur’an was falsely attributed to the exalted messenger of Islam so that nobody could question its authenticity.

Majority of newly converted Arabs and non Arabs Muslims were not aware of the core philosophy of the book Quran. So it became even easier for the conspirators to revert back the traditional Arabs to their old worshiping methods and accommodate some rituals along with their important annual pilgrimage in the fold of Islam. Each and every verses of the book Quran was cleverly hijacked according to old Arab / Persian cultural beliefs. Special attention was given to the word صلاۃ and its derivatives so that it looks more like mixture of Jew / Christian / Zoroastrian form of worship.  Applause to them they did a marvelous job in converting a vibrant book of human psychology into the sacred book of religion.

It is a fact of Nature that you cannot hide the truth for long, it is bound to come out and the manifestation is in its nature. After taking so much trouble to fit in the designated words of their own choice their cheating was finally exposed by the translations itself. There are three root words in case of salah [صلو- صلى- - وصل / صل] from which one can choose the meaning according to its context. In the case nisa there are two root words [نسأ  and نسو ] and in the case of nabi there are two root words to choose from that are نبا and نبى  in all such cases the context of the book Qur’an will decide the root word and not the lexicographer. Lexicographers can play with its meaning but the immutable context of the book Qur’an will have the final say.

The traditional translators have taken the root word of صلاۃ [Salaah] as صلو and made يُصَلُّونَ - صَلُّوا its “derivatives” to mean ‘contact prayer’ [namaz]- –Now observe in the following verses how their translations looked like:

33:56 إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا

“Allah sends His Salat [ritual prayer] on the Prophet (Muhammad SAW) and also His angels too. O you who believe! Send your Salat [ritual prayer] on him (Muhammad SAW), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. AsSalamu Alaikum).” T T

This above verse was the main reason for me to doubt the ritual prayers [namaz]. This is a very important verse of my life; correct understanding of this verse gave me the boost to my further research. I appreciate the English translation of this verse by Dr. Muhsin Khan & Dr. Al-Hilali that gave me my first breakthrough of my research. I have removed much interpolation so that the readers get a better picture of the verse.

 This verse made me ponder how Allah offers Salat on the Nabi. This is some 18 years back when I was critically analyzing salat, people thought I was crazy doubting an important pillar of Islam. Same mistake is committed by the translators in the below verse.

33:43 هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَلِّي عَلَيْكُمْ وَمَلَائِكَتُهُ لِيُخْرِجَكُم مِّنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ وَكَانَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَحِيمًا

“He [Allah] it is Who sends Salat [ritual prayer] on you, and His angels too, that He may bring you out from darkness into light. And He is Ever Most Merciful to the believers.”

The biggest mistake the translators did is that they inferred يُصَلُّونَ and صَلُّوا as derivative of the word salat [صلاۃ] where as  صلة/ وصل is the root word of صلاۃ – The root word of يُصَلُّونَ and صَلُّوا is صلو – If we still think salat is ritual prayers then it is impossible to explain verse 33:36 and 33:43. And in the form II verb the intensity of the words become more intense.

You have seen if صلاۃ or يُصَلُّونَ and صَلُّوا is taken as a ritual prayer (namaz) it sounds illogical and goes against the general belief of that Almighty Allah. How can He perform ritual prayers on the Nabi as well as on believers and that means that He bows and prostrate to anyone in prayers?

Only a blind and deaf can ignore the normal daily usage of word salat and its derivatives in Arabic language. The Quranic word صلاۃ [Salah] is a primary noun of the same Arabic root word that is used to derive the popular words of general Arabic sense “الاتصالات” (Al itti salat) and “مواصلات” (mawasalat). Linguistically صلاۃ (Salaat) is a synonym of Arabic words رَبَط [rabt] which has the primary characteristics of “اتصالات” (Atta salat) and “مواصلات” (mawa salat). So, being a prime word and as an integral part of “اتصالات” (itti salat) and “مواصلات” (mawa salat), the essence of the Quranic word صلاۃ (Salat) is actually used to mean:  attachment ; conjunction ; connectedness ; connection ; junction ; liaison ; link(age) ; linkup ; union ; communication, transportation; union , connection; (state of) joining; mutual relation, bringing into such a relation; communication; social relations; a point at which two or more things are joined together; a place where two or more railway lines or roads meet, unite or cross; the act or instance of joining; communication or cooperation; relationship in which one is caused or affected by the other; relationship between two or more people; link or tie; act or instance of uniting or the state of being united.

The same word صلاۃ (Salaat) with the definite article الصلاۃ [As Salah] refers to connection, to reach out, to join, to unite, communication, to relate and to get together for purpose of connection with our own inherent script [Al-Kitab] as instructed by the book Quran.

Finally some verses from the book Quran must put the controversy to rest:


13:20 - الَّذِينَ يُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِ اللّهِ وَلاَ يَنقُضُونَ الْمِيثَاقَ

Those who fulfill / complete with system of consciousness's [Allah's] promise / oath, and do not break / undo the promise / covenant.

13:21- وَالَّذِينَ يَصِلُونَ مَا أَمَرَ اللّهُ بِهِ أَن يُوصَلَ وَيَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ وَيَخَافُونَ سُوءَ الْحِسَابِ

And those who connect [derivative of salat] what the system of consciousness [Allah] has ordered / commanded with it that to be connected [derivative of salat], and they fear their consciousness [Rabb], and they fear the displeasing reckoning.

13:22 - وَالَّذِينَ صَبَرُواْ ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ رَبِّهِمْ وَأَقَامُواْ الصَّلاَةَ وَأَنفَقُواْ مِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ سِرًّا وَعَلاَنِيَةً وَيَدْرَؤُونَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ السَّيِّئَةَ أُوْلَئِكَ لَهُمْ عُقْبَى الدَّارِ

And those who were patient desiring their Consciousness's direction/face/attention, and kept up the process of connection [salat], and they invest from what We provided for them gladly and clearly, and they repel /avert evil with the good, those for them is the cycle of returning / succession.

The verse 13:20 to 13:22 proves that Salat is contact or process of connection between the Rabb' promise / covenant / contract and us.

You will not see the real purpose of salat unless you replace the fake meaning of صلاۃ [Salah] from the contradictory translations of the above mentioned verses you will see yourself the correct, logical, sensible and understandable meaning of these sensible verses and its daily uses among Arabs. 

UNDERSTANDING THE ROOT WORD OF SALAT: PART 1

UNDERSTANDING THE ROOT WORD OF SALAT: PART-1

Salah is one the most important term of the book Quran and the most misunderstood term by very vast majority of the Muslim world. The canonical interpretations of the word salat are prayer, contact prayer, blessings. Its new interpretation is establishment of socioeconomic system based on the concept / theme of Nizam e Rabbubiat coined by Sir Ghulam Ahmed Parvez and later upgraded by Dr. Qamar Zaman esq.

Now it's a dilemma for the sincere student of the book Quran, how to choose the correct interpretation of the term salah from so many different understandings. My method is to cross check the root word and the derivatives of the respective term currently used in  colloquial Arabic then find it meanings in lexicons and finally how the derived meaning makes sense in the given context of the message. On the basis of this information I select the the corresponding root word accordingly.

INFERRING THE WORD SALAT:

The word al-ṣalat [الصَّـلَاةَ] is a feminine noun. Ta marbutah [ة] at the end of the word salat indicates that it is some kind of process or mechanism. The basic objective of the process of al-salat is continuous establishment or installation of the connection [وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّـلَاةَ]   – The word يُقِيمُونَ is a form IV imperfect verb.  Imperfect verb is when the action is incomplete and is in continuous process. Form IV verbs are used for transfer of action on self for transformation. So in this context salat is a continuous process / mechanism of connection with our unique script (Al-Kitab) for our own self awareness and transformation.

Al-salat is a continuous establishment of connection [وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّـلَاةَ] – The simple ritual salat of 3 or 5 times a day does not fulfill the criteria of actual Quranic salat. The Quranic salat is very difficult; it needs patience and humbleness – 2:45

The process of salat enables us to diligently connect with the guidance from the stored or embedded script (Al-Kitab) within us by our consciousness [Rabb].

First we will discuss the apparent meaning of the word salat. If we ask any common Muslim or a clergy what is salat? The spontaneous answer would be communication / connection with Allah or contact with God is salat. But when some curious minds like me refers it to any dictionary to verify the correct meaning of the word, he would not find the word communication / connection in the entire list of meanings if he checks under the popular root word ص ل و – But at the same time everybody would insist that the meaning of Salat is contact / communication or connection with Allah.

I was always reluctant to discuss the root word of Salat as I found my understanding contrary to many present lexicographers. I did not have much backup to support my arguments. As far as I know majority of “Muslims” think salat is direct communication / contact with Allah. I also discussed with some ulemas [scholars graduated from religious school] they too are of the same opinion that salat is a contact / communication with Allah but when it comes to root word of salat they too fumble. Some more learned among them said the word salat is a derivative of sila [صلة] – link, connection but they were not aware of its actual root word.

The basic meaning of صلو [salu] is - I struck, or beat. صلوت الظهر means to beat the back. Beat / struck is called صلا – Now according to the lexicons the most familiar meaning taken by the ”Muslims” of salu and its derivatives الصَّـلَاةَ - صَلَوَاتٌ - يُصَلِّي - يُصَلُّواْ are – he prayed, supplicated, petitioned, divinely appointed prayer, eulogy, benediction, blessing commendation..

One of the meaning صلى – it is said that the horse who followed the next after the foremost in the race or a goal – صلا is middle back of the human being. Projected portion of the central back of the animal between the buttocks from where the tail of an animal comes out, the rump.

The more commonly used meanings by the translators or exegesist for SALAT are:

Divinely appointed prayers, supplication, contact prayers, blessing, commitment, follow closely and establishment of Kingdom of God on Earth / socioeconomic system  [nizam e rabubiat].

Any deviation from the commonly held or established beliefs or in the absence of precedent or references from so called academic authorities is not at all easy for anyone to explain their point of view. The most common form of confirmation demanded by almost all academicians or common man is “show us where it is written” that salat is not a derivative of s-l-u - صلو.

Unfortunately references from the lexicons or exegesis and lexicographers are treated as bench mark of authority & authenticity by the so called academicians. No space or respect is given to independent research, deliberation, colloquial usage, common sense and for that matter even the context of the book Qur’an is ignored. Subsequently the understanding of Islam and the book Qur’an are dictated by the same prejudiced authorities who are not independent thinkers but bookish stooges of the rule books written by their hallowed predecessors. These pseudo scholars are the main hindrance in understanding the book Qur’an independently.

I am not against the use of lexicons or exegesis or any other literature or tools as long as it helps in finding the truth and give sense to the context. But we all should be aware that all the lexicons or exegesis are customized to legitimized Hadith literature rather than the semantics of the book Quran. No doubt classical lexicons do possess some traces of truth in it but for that we must have an open mind and scanning eyes to pick up those right meaning from so many vocabularies. If we only depend on academics and fail to apply reason while translating the noble book Quran then we would be doing great injustice to the message of the book Qur’an.

The most prominent and easily available lexicons are Lisan al-Arab (Arabic: لسان العرب‎) Ibn Manzur(Arabic: ابن منظور‎) (b.630 A.H / 1233 - d. 711A.H / 1312). The dictionary was completed in 689 A.H / 1290. It contains about 80,000 dictionary entries.

Al-Qamus al-Muhit wa al-Qabus al-Wasit (Arabic: القاموس المحيط، والقابوس الوسيط‎) Shorter title: Al-Qamus al-Muhit    Al-Firuzabadi (Arabic: الفيروزآبادي‎) (b. 1329 - d. 1414) the dictionary was completed in 1410. It contains about 60,000 dictionary entries.    

Taj al-Arus Min Jawahir al-Qamus (Arabic: تاج العروس‎) Shorter title: Taj al-Arus - Al-Murtada al-Zabidi (Arabic: المرتضى الزبيدي‎) (b.1143 A.H / 1731 - d. 1204 A.H / 1790) the dictionary was completed in 1774. It contains about 120,000 dictionary entries.     

Some of these dictionaries served as the basis of later European dictionaries of Arabic.

Muhit al-Muhit (Arabic: محيط المحيط‎) a.k.a. Qutr al-Muhit (The Diameter of the Ocean) Butrus al-Bustani (Arabic: بطرس البستاني‎) (b. 1819 - d. 1883) the dictionary was completed in 1870. 

We find derivatives of word salat in daily conversation in the Arab world. For example the word etisalat: اتصالات‎ ittiṣālāt, literally means "communications" is widely used all over Middle East for telecommunication - is one of the derivatives of the root word وصل and not صلو - the Arabic phrase صلة الرحم literally means bonding of blood relationship is also used widely among sub-continent and Arab Muslims. They are all derivatives of وصل and salat - Inner calling means الاتصال الداخلي, here الاتصال a derivative of salat is referred as calling. This explanation of mine was not sufficient, people wanted more proof of that, they questioned why someone before me or since 1400 years nobody ever used wasal as the root word of Salat. I knew people used wasal as the root word of salat but I had no reference to show them. People began to accuse me following heresy or using my whims and some even called me a liar.

Again I have to waste my valuable time and energy to search for written records only for the sake of supporting my claim that salat and wasal are related words. I was satisfied with my understanding but I have to search it for the sake of academicians who only rely on academic proofs or precedents. I consider it as an insult to my intellect to cite examples from Mr. x, y & z to prove my point. I consider context as the king; rest all are immaterial, if the context and the theme makes sense it has to be true. Usually I hate the idea of references or citations. It is an irony that I have to depend on works of some early scholars to endorse my conviction. Instead of studying the richness of message of the book Qur’an I have to waste my time in searching for acknowledgment and confirmation from outside source to satisfy the masses. And if am fortunate enough to get hands to it, only then the precious common sense will be acceptable otherwise it has no value. Such line of thinking breeds the habit of copying predecessors and this is the main cause of mental degradation of Muslims societies around the world. We must understand all researchers, lexicographers or academicians are just human beings and they can commit mistakes, we can take help from them but we cannot blindly follow them in entirety. We should understand that only the context from the book is important and not the citations of scholars.

Anyways I deemed it a very urgent necessity in the case of Salat as it was a very important subject of Islam and one of the main topics among Muslims. I was eager to show the seekers of truth that the Quranic salat does not mean ritual prayer or following closely Allah’s Law. The so called servants of “God” directly jump to the “Laws of God” without knowing anything about the Owner God. It feels good to hear such rhetoric but how can we serve or follow closely the Laws without knowing the actual Owner or Law Maker. Knowing the Laws of Invisible God through the book written in old Arabic is not possible through different superficial translations. It is easy to say that Nature's Law is God's Law. My question is how many among us understand the mysteries of Nature; is it easy to understand the law of Nature or God? When we proclaim that the book Quran is for mankind then its message must be understood by the entire mankind.

      

Coming back to the topic salat; after studying the book Quran very deeply I was fully convinced that the word salat is a derivative of wasal [و ص ل] the meaning of which is - to link, bond, connection, communication but the problem was how to explain it to others, without the backing of lexicons and exegesis it is difficult for anyone to accept it. However in my quest to have the credential to my conviction I was on the lookout for some authentic source which would endorse my understanding. Luckily I came across the treatise of Nasir Khusrow [394 A.H – 480 A.H] some 15 years back in that I found that the root word of Salat was wasal but currently while writing this article I could not find that reference.

Nevertheless much later I found much stronger citation and that was from the commentary of Surah Baqarah by Sahl al-Tustarī [818 CE 203 AH – 896 CE 283 AH]. He clearly cited the meaning of salat in his well known Tafsir [exegesis] of Al-Qur’an.

Let’s first know the background of Sahl al-Tustarī. He was a student of spiritual master Zūl-Nūn al-Miṣrī [175 A.H – 245 A.H]. Osho mentions in his book ‘Journey to the Heart’ that Zūl-Nūn al-Miṣrī was "an Egyptian Sufi mystic, one of the greatest who has ever walked on the earth". His father was a Nubian freedman of the Quraish tribe.

Mansur al-Hallaj [244 A.H – 309 A.H] was one of the famous disciples who studied Islamic mysticism at the school of Sahl al-Tustarī. During this period Al-Hallaj lost his ability to speak Persian and later wrote exclusively in Arabic. 

Sahl al-Tustarī was among the most important and influential mystics of the early, formative period of Islamic mysticism, and many later famous Sufis and thinkers drew upon his ideas and cited his sayings, including Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 505 A.H /1111), Shihāb al-Dīn Yaḥyā al-Suhrawardī (d. 587A.H /1191) and Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī (d. 638 A.H /1240). The fourth/tenth-century Sufi author Abū Ṭālib al-Makkī (d. 386A.H /996), who had fully imbibed Tustarī’s teachings through contact with the circle of his followers in Basra, contributed to the promulgation of his thought and sayings through his treatise on Sufism, the Qūt al-qulūb (‘Nourishment of Hearts’), which was freely used by Ghazālī in the composition of his celebrated Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn (‘Revival of the Religious Sciences’). 

According to the tafsir of Sahl al-Tustarī, Salat is a link of contemplation [murāqaba] of Him [page 14] and on page 21 of his exegesis he says Salat is a bond [wasal] of gnosis [marifah] with Him. In the context of the book Qur’an salat is a bond of close connection of a Learned Teacher with a devote student where both communicate with each other.            

Let’s study the essence of root word Waw Saad Laam (وصل) and its derivatives -                                                 
  

و ص ل - Waw-Saad-Lam = attained, reached, connected, joined, he made close ties of relation, bond of love, held close, to continue, communion, communicated, صلة – establish contact, connection or relation, يصل – is to join, connect, unite, combine, link, receive – صلة الرحم – making close relationship – connective preposition is called حرف الصلة –‎ ittiṣālāt-  اتصالات‎- literally means "communications" – to get in touch with telephone [modern Arabic] - the phrase for inner calling is الاتصال الداخلي and the word for transportation in Arabic is  مواصلات (mawasalat) which is also a derivative of the same root word of صلاۃ [Salah]. Keeping in mind the rule of classical root languages these chain of meanings are all derivatives of root word وصل and they compliment each other in their meanings as they belong to the same family of single word. Thus we cannot adopt any other meaning of salat except the above. 

Therefore I conclude that the Quranic As-Salaat is a mechanism of bond of connection / communication or a communion with the divine guidance present in the form of embedded script [Al-Kitab] in us. The divine inherent script [Al-Kitab] is the only source which is to be followed for knowledge, guidance and it should be treated as the Clear leader [Imam e Mubin] - 36:12. 

The basic intention of offering the “traditional salat” 5 / 3 times a day does not solve the purpose, although it is trying to hint the fact that “Stay Connected” with your consciousness [Rabb] and with your inner self. The connection of salat should be 24x7 and not lasting for just 10/15 minutes period 3 / 5 times a day. The basic purpose is to stay connected 24/7 in order to keep in touch with the anomalous behavior of our self [nafs]. The process of salat has nothing to do with any heavenly God but with the conduct of our own inner-self.

Addendum: For those who have grossly misunderstood my article. My simple argument is that the word Salat [الصَّـلَاةَ] is the derivative of word wasal [وصل].

Please note I never said anything about these words SALLA (صَلَّىٰ) - SALLU (صَلُّوا) - YU SALLUNA (يُصَلُّونَ) – and I never said it means connection or its root word is وصل – I am aware these are all form II verbs and their root word is صلو –

I did not want to prolong my article so I confined it to the word الصَّـلَاة only. Please read again, I think many readers are confused with these two root words. I never said the word الصَّـلَاة and words صَلَّىٰ - صَلُّوا - يُصَلُّونَ carry the same root word. I hope the confusion is clear.

CONTINUED IN PART II

CONTINUOUS / PERMANENT SALAT

WE NEGLECT / IGNORE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF AL-SALAT.

The word da-imoona[دَائِمُونَ] is one of the most important aspect to understand Quranic Salat. The basic meaning of which is to remain constant, never ending, continuous, always, endured, remain.

The other requirement of salat is to be patient [بِالصَّبْرِ] and ego less [الْخَاشِعِينَ]. Before the process of establishment of salat [connection] one has to have clarity in mind [غْسِلُواْ] and focus on the goal in front of them [الْقِبْلَةَ] – If you want to achieve something you cannot lose your connection and the focus / aim, you have to be 24x7 connected to it. This is what salati daimoon is. Can we achieve permanent connection by simply bowing and prostrating 3 or 5 times daily that too depending on the movement of the sun?

الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَى صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ

Allatheena hum AAala salatihimda-imoona

70:23 Those who are on their salat continuing / lasting / constant / remained / endured / always / endlessly.

Generally people ignore this important aspect of salat [صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ]. The process of salat is 24x7. The process of connection with Allah / Rabb and us is never ending. يُقِيمُونَ الصَّـلَاةَ establishment of salat is constant and never ending process.

(a) Why our Salat [connection] is lost or wasted [أَضَاعُوا]?

When we follow extreme desire / lust [الشَّهَوَاتِ] then our salat is lost or wasted – [19:59]

Note: According to the book Qur’an al-shahwaat is one of the opposite of salat because salat is lost due to shahwaat.

(b) How the Salat is connected or revived again?

For the re-connection of Salat we have to believe again in the process of connection, repent / return back and do right / reconciliatory deeds [عَمِلَ صَالِحًا] and avoid extreme desire – [19:60]

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE TRUST OR FIRM BELIEF ?

WHAT IS TRUST OR FIRM BELIEF ? -  أ م ن

Whenever I come across the word 'believe' in the traditional translation of the book Quran, another word would automatically pop up in my mind and that word is 'blind'. I was allergic to the word believe as I always thought that this word is interconnected with some essence of blindness in it. My biggest weakness is that I could not accept anything blindly. I never understood this word in the context of the book Quran. I wonder why the book Quran emphasize its reader to think, ponder, use reason, intellect and at the same time also emphasizes its reader to believe, that too in the unseen or imagine beyond the range of mental  perception [بِالْغَيْبِ]. Believing in the gayab [unseen] was unimaginable for me. That time I was unable to figure out why the book Quran gave so much importance to the word 'BELIEVE' or 'FIRM BELIEVE'.  

It is important to know the essence of this frequently occurring phrase - يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا - Who are this individuals who are addressed and why form iv perfect verb is used

The basic meaning of the word أمن aman is to feel secure or safe, tranquility in heart and mind, free from fear and trust. When this word comes in form iv verb āmana (ءَامَنَ) it carries the sense of transformation that doubles the intensity of the meaning from security / safety to that of continuous believing in self, trusting self, having firm faith in self. The word āmana and its derivatives have occurred 537 times as form iv verb. It is not possible to have complete soundness, security, safety without the safety and security of health, wealth and soundness of mind. When understanding the phrase يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا  one must understand that it is only addressed to those who are safe, secure and sound in all the aspect of life. One cannot be a true or firm believer [Momin . aaminoo] only on the virtue of lip service, rituals or dress code.

The book Quran calls Allah as Momin (59:23) because this word possess without an iota of deficiency in its meaning. Provider of tranquility, peace with safety and security cannot be incomplete in any respect. This word has a highest sense of accountability, responsibility and obedience embedded in its meaning. Any Tom, Dick and Harry cannot call himself momin only on the basis of performing superficial rituals or adorning customary dress code. Momin is a title very difficult to sustain and when the author of the book Quran addresses someone as aamino that means that individuals must comply all the attributes of Momin in all respect. In worldly sense the fact is any person who is not financially, mentally or physically healthy or sound cannot experience or feel real safety and security; thus he cannot be recognized as Momin. To seek knowledge one must be sound in basic aspect of life. An empty stomach is not good for seeking knowledge. Food, clothing and shelter are basic need for every individual and their immediate dependent. If one need to seek knowledge one must fulfill these basic responsibility to become safe and secure [Momin] or firm believer. 

In the context of the book Quran the momin is one who understands / recognizes and believes with his Allah, Rasuls, Kitabs, Malaikah and yaumul aakhirah - 4:136 - Here the Quran is not talking about things which we have not seen or experienced

The complete theme of the book Quran can only be understood by using strong imagination  or mental perception and in traditional jargon it is called unseen [بِالْغَيْبِ]. Note the book Quran does not discuss any physical characters as majority among us believe. The book Quran never propagates its reader to believe something which they cannot able to witness or experience / feel or imagine through their insight or senses.


Generally people can't understand the crux of the message of the book Quran because they have not seen or witnessed its phenomenon themselves. They relate the message of the book Quran to doubtful histories narrated by their forefathers and on that basis they revere / idolize or hate those characters. Those characters are used by the respected author just as illustrations for better perception of the subject but the masses treat them as their real heroes or villains. They don't understand that those characters are just personified in order to make the message book Quran more vibrant.. 

All the characters of the book Quran are illustrations that exist in our thought / self or as an idea but not having any physical existence [بِالْغَيْبِ]. If we conceive the intended meanings of those characters we can find their concrete existence in our own self [nafs] or thoughts. The main subject of the book Quran is Allah / Rabb, Shaitaan / Iblees, Malaikah, Nabi / Rasul, Pharaoh, Jannah and Jahannum. These words are very important but to understand these words we need to have powerful visualization / contemplation / imagination as they come under the ambit of the unseen [بِالْغَيْبِ]. For contemplation or imagination one need to first secure himself and his immediate dependent, then only he can proceed further in the search of unseen knowledge. Becoming Momin is not easy, it is the highest quality and one of the attribute of Allah.

The book Quran is the teacher that can inspire the senses, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning. The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination. You cannot only depend on your eyes for development, if you lack imagination you cannot evolve. I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. The word in the book Quran for imagination / visualization / insight is بَصِيرٌ [baseer]. The word بَصِيرٌ [baseer] and its derivatives have occurred 148 times in the entire Quran.

The first step of any learning process is to believe. For any child the first step is to trust and feel secure then believes his/her parents and teachers in order to learn further. As you grow the next step is inquiry, investigation, analyse, study, scrutiny and research. The last and final step is to believe in self. When the teacher Quran addresses the believers it means those who believe in their self. If we want to understand any subject the first step is to feel safe and secure from basic needs of life then only one can venture out to study the depth of signs and symbols [ayaats] of universe or self. Why believing is necessary in the context of the book Quran because it deals with abstract [bil-gayab] elements that needs powerful insight. When you believe / accept or entertain some unknown phenomena it opens the door to advance investigation. If we out rightly reject something we are closing the door of investigation. For advance research first we need to strongly believe in our own idea / theory then only we can entertain pertaining to that thoughts in which we wish to research more. Research cannot happen in empty stomach and faith or happiness rarely keeps company with an empty stomach. A Momin is one who strongly feels safe and secure in every aspect of life.

To study the book Quran we need to first have faith / trust in Allah, Shaitaan, Malaikah, Rasul, Nabi, Pharaoh, Jannah and Jahannum. All these entities come under the ambit of bil-gayab [unseen]. When we believe in these unseen entities we open the door to investigate it further. If we want to know deeply the terminology of the book Quran we need to have understanding of those abstract terms.

The problem with majority of "Muslims" is that they think faith (īmān إِيمَٰن) with these unseen entities should be blind and no question or understanding would be tolerated regarding these unseen entities except the canonical ones drafted by the pseudo scholars. It is a common belief among "Muslims" that to discuss or to think out of box about these unseen entities is considered an act of blasphemy.


These unseen abstract entities encompasses the entire message of the book Quran and to ignore it or limit its understanding to just canonical prattle is severe injustice to the message and the author of the noble book Quran. The impeccable message of the book Quran lays in the decoding of these unseen abstract entities, without deciphering these important terms of the Quranic text no one can perceive the crux of the message. By believing blindly in these sensational entities we would be just getting superficial glimpse of the actual message. 


When the book Quran instruct us to believe it means the message of the book Quran is for those who fulfill the first criteria of learning. The message of the book Quran is only for those who believe with unseen [الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ] or are capable of imagining out of box - And if you are not able to perceive the unseen abstract entities you are not eligible to understand the message of the noble book Quran. The second criterion is to investigate these unseen entities by pondering, thinking, imagining,  contemplating, reasoning and using our own intellect. Referring to history or geography books to understand the book Quran is treading in the wrong direction. The book Quran can only be understood in the light of one's own psychology. This is the miracle of the message of the Noble Quran.

The trilateral root hamza mīm nūn (أ م ن) occurs 879 times in the Quran, in 17 derived forms:

20 times as the form I verb amina (أَمِنَ)

537 times as the form IV verb āmana (ءَامَنَ)

once as the form VIII verb u'tumina (ٱؤْتُمِنَ)

four times as the noun amānāt (أَمَٰنَٰت)

twice as the noun amānat (أَمَٰنَت)

five times as the noun amn (أَمْن)

twice as the noun amanat (أَمَنَة)

14 times as the adjective amīn (أَمِين)

once as the noun maman (مَأْمَن)

six times as the active participle āmin (ءَامِن)

10 times as the active participle āminīn (ءَامِنِين)

once as the active participle āminat (ءَامِنَة)

once as the passive participle mamūn (مَأْمُون)

45 times as the form IV verbal noun īmān (إِيمَٰن)

202 times as the form IV active participle mu'min (مُؤْمِن)

22 times as the form IV active participle mu'mināt (مُّؤْمِنَٰت)

six times as the form IV active participle mu'minat (مُّؤْمِنَة)

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SUNNAH OF ALLAH.

SUNNAH OF ALLAH:

We all talk a lot about Law of God [قانون الله], we think God has given us some list of Laws through a book which we all have to follow but ironically the Arabic word Qanoon [قانون] which means law is not found in the entire book Quran. Same laws cannot be imposed on diverse communities, it can be changed or modified according to the circumstances. There can never be any fixed laws for entire mankind. The concept of fixed laws gives birth to the attitude of bigotry and prejudice.

When “Muslims” talk about sunnah the general sense is that they are talking about the “verbally transmitted records” of the teachings, deeds and sayings, silent permissions (or disapproval) of the Rev. Mohammed bin Abdullah [PBUH] of Arabia. These transmitted records were later recognized as Hadith or Sunnah of Rev. Mohammed [PBUH] and they are considered as law by the majority of "Muslims".

In the pre-Islamic period, the word sunnah was used with the meaning "manner of acting", whether good or bad. During the early Islamic period, the term came to refer to any good precedent set by the tribal traditions which was immutable. Early schools of Islamic jurisprudence also had a more flexible definition of Sunnah than was used later, that being "acceptable norms" or "custom". After the term al-sunnah was canonized it eventually came to be viewed as synonymous with the sunnah [path, a way, Arabian lifestyle] of Rev. Muhammad [PBUH].

Abū ʿAbdullāh Muhammad ibn Idrīs al-Shāfiʿī (150-204 AH), popularly known as Imam al-Shafi'i, emphasized that the hadith of Muhammad is the final authority and that even the Qur'an was "to be interpreted in the light of traditions (i.e. hadith), and not vice versa." While the sunnah / hadith has often been called "second to the Quran", but it has also been said to "rule over and interpret the Quran". Imam Al-Shafi'i "forcefully argued" that the sunnah / hadith stands "on equal footing with the Quran.

The recorded Arabian lifestyle of Rev. Mohammed [PBUH] and his honorable companions has nothing to do with the understanding of the message of the book Quran. Their respective lifestyle was a personal choice whereas the message of the book Quran has nothing to do with their personal acts or conducts of individuals. Nonetheless the pseudo scholars brought personal likes and dislikes of the messenger and his companions as a guide to understand the universal subject of the book Quran thus confining and limiting the vast knowledge of the book Quran.

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD SUNNAH:

Sunnah سنة ˈsunna, plural سنن sunan ˈsunan is an Arabic word that basically means something that is fixed, pierced, thrust, mounted upon it… In colloquial Arabic أسنان [asnaan] means teeth due to its fixed structure. Sunnah and asnaan share the same root word س ن -   

THE WORD SUNNAH OF ALLAH IN THE CONTEXT OF THE BOOK QURAN:

The word “Sunnah” and its derivatives appear 21 times in the book Qur’an, but there is no specific mention of sunnat al-rasool (sunna of the messenger) or sunnat al-nabi or sunna al-nabawiyyah (sunna of the prophets).

The phrase “Sunnah of Allah” [سُنَّةَ اللَّهِ] appears eight times in five verses [33:38, 33:62, 35:43, 40:85, 48:23] of the book Quran, but many learned people who claim to have the knowledge of the book Quran are surprised when they are asked about sunnah of Allah, they behave as if they are hearing these words for the first time. They are aware of the words like sunnat al-rasool (sunna of the messenger) or sunnat al-nabi or sunna al-nabawiyyah (sunna of the prophets) but they have never heard about the phrase sunnat of Allah [سُنَّتَ اللَّهِ] although these phrases are present in the Quran.

WHY THEOLOGIANS & THE MASSES IGNORE THE PHRASE SUNNAH OF ALLAH:

The phrase sunnah of Allah should be understood with the context / essence of Fitrat Allah [فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ]. As there is no change in the nature of Allah [فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ], same way there is no change or alteration in sunnah of Allah [فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لِسُنَّتِ اللَّهِ تَبْدِيلًا] – Now before understanding sunnah of Allah it is very important to understand the term Allah which for majority of us is a big taboo to even think about this term, understanding the term Allah is out of question. They will quote verse after verse from the book Quran but it is impossible to understand the verse without having the correct understanding of term Allah. The reason that they don’t ponder over this important term Allah because they assume it is an invisible deity / God and to imagine about Him is blasphemy. It is ridiculous / premature to discuss sunnah of Allah without understanding the term Allah.

We cannot understand the book Quran without understanding the sunnah and fitrat of Allah. The triliteral root fā ṭā rā (ف ط ر) occurs 20 times in the Quran, in six derived forms:

But the phrase fitrat allah فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ only appeared once. We are busy understanding the fitrat and sunnah of everyone except Allah. We are so rigid in our understanding of Allah that we don't even want to discuss it. We are prepared to twist, distort, misreport, manipulate the attributes of Allah to suit our traditional understanding of Allah but not ready to see, verify and check this important word from another dimension. The religious concept or the translation of Allah is the main reason why rational people are mocking Quran and leaving Islam.

3:2 اللَّهُ لَا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ 

The position / status of Allah is not of an ilah [the one which we serve or adore / deity] except / but He, the Ever-Living, the Eternal.

The book Quran clearly states that Allah is not an ilah [god]; the one we serve, adore as if it is an object of worship. The word Allahu is a nominative case which signifies that the character of Allah is described that He is not an object of worship.

4:80 - مَّنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللّهَ وَمَن تَوَلَّى فَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا

Who obeys the rasul, so he obeyed Allah, and who turned away, so We did not descended you upon them them as a protector.

When the verse says obeying rasul is obeying Allah people become curious to know the details of Mohammed bin Abdullah and they refer books of Hadiths compiled and written by Imams of those times. This way the message got totally distorted and the followers of the book Quran assumed that the vibrant word Al-Rasul is used for Rev. Mohammed bin Abdullah (PBUH) and the word Allah is used for somebody Invisible, Mighty, Creator, Master, Owner, Controller Lord of the Universe. 

Nobody want to discuss the Sunnah of Allah because he was fashioned by the scholars beyond comprehension and discussion. Everybody was/is interested in knowing the sunnah /  mannerism of Mohammed bin Abdullah of history rather than understanding the phrase Mohammedur - rasul Allah (مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ) of the book Quran -

The fact is the book Quran is about understanding the psyche / Nafs of Allah or Nafsi Wahidah and through its many attributes of that Nafs but the tragedy is that we are being forcefully and systematically controlled not to think about these all important term. Without knowing the Nafs of Allah we cannot understand the psyche / nafs of man (30:30). The message of this wonderful book Quran becomes futile due to misunderstanding of a very important term Allah of the book Quran. A very vital term Allah is simply ignored because of the rigid mindset molded by the pseudo scholars of religion Islam. 

 QURAN DESCRIBES ALLAH AS NAFS / SELF:

لاَّ يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِن دُوْنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللّهِ فِي شَيْءٍ إِلاَّ أَن تَتَّقُواْ مِنْهُمْ تُقَاةً وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللّهُ نَفْسَهُ وَإِلَى اللّهِ الْمَصِيرُ


“…And Allah warns you of Himself, and to Allah is the [final] destination…”   (3:28)

Comprehend the sense of term Allah through understanding the word Nafs. The Quran has used many times the word Nafs for Allah

3:30, 5:116, 6:12, 6:54, 20:41 - The book Quran says Allah is Nafs.

وَاصْطَنَعْتُكَ لِنَفْسِي

"And I have manufactured/produce you for Myself لِنَفْسِي – (20:41) - Here the book Quran says Musa was made for Allah's Nafs.

The term Allah is the BASE in understanding the Deen Islam and the book Quran. Without knowing the Nafs, Fitrah and Sunnah of Allah it is impossible to understand the message of the book Quran. The relation of Allah with human beings is inseparable. The book Quran is a catalog of human psyche and the term Allah is the most important part and parcel of human psyche [Nafs].

The relation of Allah within the context of the book Quran with every human being is very important. Performing various rituals to maintain this important relationship with Allah is foolishness, foolhardy and primitive.